The Leipzig Opera follows the tradition of over 330 years of musical theatre in Leipzig: in 1693, the first opera house on the Brühl was opened as the third civic music theatre in Europe after Venice and Hamburg. Since 1840, the world-renowned Gewandhaus Orchestra has played for all performances of the opera and the Leipzig ballet. In addition to today's opera house on Augustusplatz, built in 1960, Leipzig Opera includes the Musikalische Komödie, a special venue for operettas and musical. With over 720 employees, it is the city's largest in-house cultural institution and comprises five mainstays: the opera, Musikalische Komödie, Leipzig Ballet, their 360° outreach and educational programme, and the craft studios which work for all of the city's theatres.
